Telluride’s Kenworthy Dominating Freeskiing Circuit

Most kids graduate high school and go to college to figure out what they want to do in life. Not Telluride’s Gus Kenworthy. Kenworthy knows exactly what he wants to do, and he’s already doing it: pursuing his ambition to become a professional skier. This season his dreams became reality when he won $15,000 and the acclaim of Powder Magazine, which named him one of the top 20 young (under 18) freeskiers in the world.

Kenworthy started out the 2009-2010 season by breaking his collarbone and winding up with a metal plate and nine screws. He came back two months later with a vengeance, winning the Toyota Tricktopsy event in Mt. Snow, and then taking first in the slopestyle and superpipe events at the Aspen/Snowmass Open, a sort of semi-pro X Games. This spring he is finishing his season in Maine at the Dumont Cup before heading to New Zealand this summer to compete. After that, he goes to Sweden for the Jon Olsson Super Sessions, a prestigious filming/photo shoot contest. TIO caught up with Kenworthy between competitions for a quick interview.

 

TIO: You’ve won three competitions in a row after being injured early in the season. What is the secret to your success?

GK: I don’t think that there are really any secrets to success. As far as my injury goes, I think that it just made me hungrier and come back stronger. Nobody ever wants to get hurt, but I think that sometimes it can kind of be a good thing. During the downtime you get the opportunity to think about and visualize what you want to do. When you are healthy it is nonstop action, and it takes a toll on your body. Sometimes a short break from skiing can really be a blessing in disguise.

 

TIO: How did growing up and skiing in Telluride prepare you (or not prepare you) for being a professional freeskier?

GK: Growing up in Telluride was definitely a huge advantage for me as a skier, and for my career. Having a strong background in all different aspects of the sport is a huge help. Nowadays there are a lot of kids who decide that they want to be skiers and they go straight to the terrain parks and spend all of their time there. Although I am definitely a park rat myself, I started out racing and competing in moguls. It’s important to get the fundamentals down first.

 

TIO: What’s it like to be a pro skier? Is it stressful to compete, or is it great to be skiing so much?

GK: I don’t think that my lifestyle is too stressful. I love skiing so much, that I don’t think I could ever really get sick of it. When I’m not skiing, all I can think about is the next time that I will be able to ski. When I am skiing I am the happiest I’ve ever been. Getting to ski all year round and travel as much as I do is truly a dream come true. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

TIO: What are your signature tricks and what new tricks are you working on?

GK: I don’t know if I would say that I really have any signature tricks. At the moment I’m working really hard at spinning both ways. Being ambidextrous in your skiing is a really important factor in order to compete nowadays. In a slopestyle or halfpipe run you have to spin to both the left and right side. Most people have a natural way of spinning that they learn first and are more comfortable doing. Learning how to spin the opposite way is really difficult and awkward feeling; it is like relearning how to throw a baseball with your left hand if you are right handed. In addition, you have to make your spins in both directions look just as good as one another, so it isn’t noticeable which way is your “natural” direction.

 

TIO: Any advice for young skiers contemplating a professional career? What’s your personal motto?

GK: As far as advice for up-and-coming skiers with dreams of a career as a professional: I would just say to follow your dreams. Don’t worry about the fame and sponsors and get caught up with all of that. Just do what you do, and stay true to yourself. When you are ready, everything will fall into place. I don’t know if I have a personal motto that I try and live by. I just try and be a good, honest person and have fun with whatever I’m doing. It has served me well so far.